Method of shooting torpedoes



E. M. RIST.

METHOD OF SHOOTING TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8. 191a.

Patented Mar. M, 1922.

EAQQALQQD PATENT @JFFEQ.

EDWARD M. RIST, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

METHOD OF SHOOTING TORPEDOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

Application filed April 8, 1918.: Serial No. 227,396.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. RIsT, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Shooting Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to methods of shooting torpedoes from an explosive gun without injuring the torpedo. and in this manner projecting the torpedo a long distance, the torpedo being of any construction containing high explosive and having self-propelling means which can be timed so as to begin to operate at the desired time to propel the torpedo to increase the distance of its projection. The torpedo can be equipped with the proper steering means so as to cause it to be steered in a direction to strike the mark which it is aimed at when shooting from the gun.

This method provides means whereby a self-propelled torpedo can be shot from ordinary naval guns which use an explosive and without injuring the torpedo, allowing it to be propelled by its self-propelling means a considerable distance after the torpedo strikes the water, should it fall short of the object at which it is aimed, thus increasing the e'fliciency of naval guns. Many of the shots, in the use of the present projectiles fall short of the mark and are wasted, while if in place of the bullets now used a torpedo with self-propelling and steering means were used it would be easier to hit the enemy and the torpedo would in many instances find the mark by traveling through the water to the object at which it were aimed.

The torpedo used in carrying out this method can be of any suitable construction and of the desired size and shape to fit the gun in which it is to be used. The object being to discharge the torpedo from a long range gun without injuring the torpedo so that it can be propelled by itself after it has left the gun.

To assist in describing this method the drawing, which forms part of this specification, illustrates in Figure 1 a longitudinal cross section of a gun, showing a torpedo in place therein ready to be discharged from the same.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross section of a member used in carrying out this method.

The gun A in the drawing is of ordinary construction having abore 2 and a breechlock 3 which is of ordinary well known construction, and having the regular connect- 1ng elements which control the same.

A torpedo 4: which is of any suitable constructlon is illustrated in Figure 1 in position in the bore 2 of the gun A. The torpedo is formed with a pointed war head 5 and a war nose 6, and the body portion 7 forming the compressed airv flask is centrally positioned while the rear portion B is tapered ofl? forming the after-body and the tail 9 carrying rudders and vanes together with the propellers.

The torpedo mechanism is of any desired construction and is preferably formed with an annular shoulder 10 at the rear end of the body portion 7 against which oneend of the spacing elements or arms 11 engage. The spacers 11 are of such length as to extend from the shoulder 10 beyond the tail mechanism of the torpedo and are of segmental cylindrical shape, the rear portion of which is adapted to butt against a rubber or other suitable disk-shaped cushion 12. Two or more spacers 11 can be used and the drawing illustrates two spacers in use which are positoned diametrically opposite. The forward end of the spacers 11 is formed with an inner curved surface 13 which fits in the shoulder 10 formed in the torpedo 4 and a series of coil springs 14 are positioned in the sockets 15 formed in the forward end of the spacers 11 which are adapted to engage against the surface of the torpedo and be compressed against the surface of the torpedo when the same is slid into the bore of the gun so as to firmly engage against the same and to disengage from the torpedo when discharged from the gun with the torpedo.

placed back of the cushion 12 and is of a diameter so as to fit into the bore of the gun. The torpedo with the spacers 11 engaging against the same is inserted into the bore 2 and then the cushion 12 and steel disk 16 are placed in position back of the spacers. A charge of powder 17 is then placed back of the disk 16 and the breechblock set in place A suitable steel disk 16 is adapted to be i as illustrated in Figure 1. The gun is then 1 ready to discharge the torpedo by exploding the charge of powder and forcing the disk,

from the explosive 17.

ushion, and spacers together with the toriedo out of the gun. The spacers, cushion nd disk separate or disengage from the orpedo soon after they leave the barrel of he gun, leaving the torpedo free to travel n its way to the object at which it was .imed, the coil spring 14 forcing the for-V vard ends of the spacers away from the tail f the torpedo which leaves the torpedo free travel forward. The cushion 12 can be )f any suitable construction so as to elimnate any sharp jar from the torpedo 4, from ,he explosion of the charge 17 and in this nanner preventing injury to the same,'while he disk 16 will also protect the torpedo The spacers 11 prerent any in ury to the self-propelling operiting mechanism and tail of the torpedo and ire free to automatically become disengaged from the torpedo after it leaves thebore of ;he gun.

In this manner the method of shooting a :orpedo by using the ordinary gun and a :harge of powder or explosive permits the ;hooting of a torpedo a greater distance Lhan it has been possible to accomplish with compressed air and without injuring the :orpedo so that by the proper timing mechauisrn the driving elements of the torpedo can be timed so as to begin to operate at the desired moment to drive the torpedo further on its Way. Thus by the use of this method the torpedo can be used in naval guns with a big advantage over ordinary shells aseven if the torpedoes fall short of their mark, by their self-propelling means they will be very apt to make a hit and thus accomplish'the desired results.

The advantage of the use of the torpedo is obvious and it is a well known fact that by the old method of discharging or shooting torpedoes it is not possible to shoot them far enough to make their general use in naval war fare practical, especially in long range. This method accomplishes this result and by a properly constructed apparatus the torpedo can be fired from the ordinary explosive gun using a charge of explosive, as in this manner a great deal of force can be exerted back of the torpedo without injuring the same to shoot it a long distance and its selI-propelling means will assist it to be carried through the water if it fall short of the mark at which it was fired.

The drawings illustrate only diagrammatically means for accomplishing this method and I do not wish to confine myself to the construction illustrated, as I believe that my method can be carried out by other means within the scope of the following claims:

1. In combination with a gun and a torpedo having a rearwardly extending rudder and a screw propeller, a rearwardly extending shoulder formed on said torpedo ahead of said rudder and propeller, a plurality of spacer memberssurrounding said rudder and propeller, engaging said shoulder at one end and extending rearwardly beyond said rudder and propeller at its other end, a cushion block positioned within said gun back of said spacer members, an annular recess formed therein adapted to engage said spacer members to hold the same in proper relation within the gun,'a disk positioned back of said cushion member, a charge of powder positioned back of said disk and adapted to eject the torpedo vwhen fired, and spring members attached to said spacer members engaging the periphery of said torpedo normally held in compression by the walls of the bore of said gun and adapted to be released to disengage said spacer members from the gun when the torpedo is fired.

2. In combination with a gun and a torpedo having a rearwardly extending rudder and a screw propeller,spacer members adapted to surround and extend rearwardly of said screw propeller and rudder, means formed on said torpedo in advance of said propellers for engaging said spacer members and means positioned rearwardly of said spacer members adapted to co-act with the same, and a charge of powder positioned rearwardly of said last named means for discharging the same and the torpedo from the gun.

3. In combination with a gun and torpedo having arearwardly extending rudder and a screw propeller, spacer arms adapted to surround said propeller and rudder, means formed on said torpedo ahead of said propeller adapted to be engaged by said spacer arms, said spacer members being positioned adjacent the bore of said gun, and spring means interposed between said spacer arms and propeller for disengaging said spacer arms from said torpedo after the same leaves the gun.

e. In combination with a gun and a torpedo having a rearwardly extending rudder and screw propeller, a seat formed on said torpedo in advance of said propeller, a cushion block positioned rearwardly of said propeller, a seat formed on said cushion block anda plurality of spacer members surrounding said propeller adapted to have I their ends positioned in said cushion block and torpedo seats and adapted to be held in place therein by means of the walls of said gun bore, and means for disengaging said spacer members from their torpedo seats after the torpedo leaves the gun.

5. In combination with a gun and a torpedo having a rearwardly extending tail, a propeller and rudder mounted on the end of said tail, said tail being of a diameter less than the body of said torpedo to form a shoulder therein, spacer members surrounding said tail rudder and propeller ada ted to engage said shoulder at one end an to seat Within said groove and spring means positioned at the apex of said inwardly turned 10 portion adapted to engage the tail of said torpedo at the groove for disengaging said spacer members from the torpedo when the same leaves the gun.

EDWARD M. RISE. 

